Railway car coupler operating device



Feb. 1, 1966 B. J. HALON 3,232,444

RAILWAY CAR COUPLER OPERATING DEVICE Filed Sept. 13, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l V INVENTOR Boles/nus J. Halon ATTORNEY Feb. 1, 1966 B. J. HALON 3,232,444

RAILWAY CAR COUPLER OPERATING DEVICE Filed Sept. 13, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVIKENTOR B0 leslaus J. Halon ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,232,444 RAILWAY CAR CGUPLER OPERATING DEVICE Boleslaus J. Halon, Lansing, Ill., assignor to Stam'ay Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 308,900 Claims. (Cl. 213-166) This invention relates to coupler operating devices for railway cars and has reference to a particular type of lever for operating the coupler, and to a bracket for rotatably supporting the outer end of the lever for convenient manipulation by a trainman from the side of the car.

In an attempt to eliminate as much loss and damage as possible to lading carried by railroads, Ways and means of reducing same have been studied. Most of this damage comes from shocks due to service movements of the car, and accordingly there has been developed a sliding center sill underframe with a cushioning arrangement for railway cars which would have little or no recoil and which would allow a considerable amount of travel of the sliding sill at all impact speeds, thereby to better pro tect the commodities carried within the car.

Damage to lading is the result of too rapid acceleration and deceleration of the car in which it is carried. To reduce the eifect of too sud-den acceleration and deceleration of the car, greater distance and time to eifect the change in velocity are required. This necessitated the use of a sliding center sill with a cushioning device therein.

Couplers installed in this type of center sill arrangement have been made to move forward and backward a greater and greater distance. In the ordinary draft gear arrangement, they would move some five to six inches, but with the sliding center sill types, the couplers have been made to move forty inches and more. This meant greater side swing of the couplers and Wider mouthed strikers to accommodate side movement of the coupler when cars are rounding curves. The tendency is to build longer cars resulting in greater overhang from truck centers to-couplers and therefore greater side travel is required at the coupler to negotiate railroad track curves.

It .is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide an operating lever for a bottom operated coupler, mounted in an underframe construction having a modcrate cushion, resulting in excessive relative longitudinal movement between car body and coupler. The operating lever must therefore accommodate this movement of the coupler in relation to the car end. When the draft gear is in extreme buff position, the operating rod must retract to about forty-two inches, and when in extreme draft position, must extend to some six feet or more.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a coupler operating device which will meet these conditions with a minimum of parts and expense, with simplicity and efiiciency in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following detailed description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the invention showing in dotted lines the full bufi left and full draft right positions of the lever and the angling of the lever to accommodate these positions;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of FIGURE 1 slightly in perspective;

FIGURE 3 is a front view on the line 33 of FIGURE FIGURE 4 is a section on line 44 of FIGURE 3; FIGURE 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FIGURE 3; FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the bracket of FIG- URE l slightly enlarged;

FIGURE 7 is a view on line 7-7 of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a front view of a modified form of the invention.

The prior art discloses coupler operating devices for use with A. A. R. type E and earlier couplers, which devices are constructed of a plurality of parts for translating rotary motion from one part to the other and to the coupler rotor for operating the coupler. Two of these devices are shown in Patents 1,926,117 and 1,981,179, the former being owned by my assignees predecessor company and the latter being licensed thereto. In each case it can be shown that such devices are not operable with the recently developed sliding center sill with cushioned underframe having couplers with shanks varying in length from 21%" to 34 /2" and wherein the couplers themselves move outwardly from extreme butt position to approximately 46" and may swing laterally up to about 15 on either side of the longitudinal center or the car. Furthermore they will not transmit torque within a reasonable movement of the handle.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 indicates the end of a car to which the device is applied and 12v indicates the striker to which the car coupler is assembled and which is attached to the center sill of the car. Since the coupler operating rod or lever is pivotally attached at one end to the lock litter of the coupler for rotating and lifting the lock lifter to unlock the coupler, and at the other end is mounted in a bracket secured to the end of the car, it is necessary that the rod be constructed of telescopic parts to accommodate the various positions of the coupler.

My operating rod or lever is formed of two parts, a handle lever 14 and a hook lever 16. The bracket for mounting the outer part of the lever to the car is shown generally at 18. This bracket comprises a Z-shaped member which includes a flat rectangular portion 26, which is secured to and extends downwardly with respect to the end 10 of the car body, a horizontally disposed portion 22 which extends perpendicularly to portion 20, and a flange 24 extending in substantially arcua-te form downwardly from the outer edge of the horizontal portion 22, forming an abutting flange or stop to limit the clockwise rotation of the handle. Upon the horizontal portion 22, adjacent the flange 24 are secured the ends of a U-shaped clcvis 26 which extends outwardly beyond the flange 24 so that the outwardly extending portion forms an eye on a vertical axis and the outer end of the operating rod may be pivotally united thereto.

The outer or handle lever 14 of the operating device comprises a downwardly extending grip portion 28 having an inturned lower end. The upper end of the grip por-- tion is bent backwardly 'upon itself forming an eye 30 which surrounds the clevis 26 and thus makes a slid-able and pivotal connection thereto. Below the eye 30 the handle portion is turned laterally into an elongated straight portion 32, which, when mounted on the car, extends more than half the distance to the coupler. The hook lever 16 is composed of an elongated straight portion '34 of about the same length as portion 14, and its inner end terminates in a hook 36 which is designed to hook into and operate the lock lifter of a car coupler, upon rotation of hook lever 16. The lengths'of the two portions are such that when the coupler is in extreme draft position, there will still be sufiicient overlap of the portions to transmit torque in operating the coupler. The outer end of portion 34 is provided with a U-shaped clip '38, the end edges of the sides of which are welded to opposite sides of the end margin of the portion 34. This clip also carries an anti-friction roller 40 mounted within the clip between the two sides thereof adjacent the bend therein. The portion 32 of the handle lever 14 extends through the clip 38 under the roller 46 so that the hook lever 1 6 rolls On the portion 32 in telescoping therealong. The inner end of the portion. 32.is. al'sdprovided. with a. U-Shaped clip 42 which extends around the portion 34 of the hook portion and the free edges of the ends of the clip 42 are welded to; oppositesidesof the end of portion 32. The end of portion 32 extends between the edges of the clip- 42. about half way so that there remains room for the pivotal mounting between the sides of' clip 42 of another anti-friction roller. 44.wh-ichrolls,on section 34 of hook; lever 16-.

Spaced outwardly from the clip 42, between it and the-clip38j' is. a guide clip 46, which. is-U-shaped like the others and extends around the portion 34, up and engaging opposite sides of portion 32, where the free ends of said clip 46 are welded; to portion 32.

When the. handle and hook levers are assembled as shown, the rods are supported about A apart, and when rotary motion is-applied to the handle lever 14; by moving handle 28 in acounterclockwise direction, the clips ongaging the hook lever 16 will cause similar rotation to be imparted thereto which is translated to the. lock litter of the. coupler to operate same,

The alternate form of the invention shown in FIGURE 8 is practically the same as that shown in FIGURE 2. Identicalv parts are given the same reference numeral in each View. In FIGURE 8 the inner end of the handle lever is provided with'a U-shaped clip the free edges of the ends of which are welded to lever 32. This clipsurrounds the hook lever portion 34 and between the sides of' the clip is rotatably: mounted a roller 52 which rolls on portion 34 as the two rods move relative to each other. The/intermediate. U-shape-d clip 54 also surrounds the portion 34 and the, free edgesof the ends of which arev welded to the opposite sides of the portion 32. Between the sides of this clip 54 a similar anti-friction roller 56 is mounted, which is positioned under the portion 34 of hook section 16. The outer or. guide clip: 58? is also U- shaped, encircling the portion; 32, and the free ends of the sides of which are welded to opposite-sides of portion 34. ot lever 16.

Each lever is supported by a roller on the other lever and thusthey may easily telescope in following the movements of the coupler.

This invention is in the direction of simplicity rather than complexity, there being an absolute, minimum of parts and material to accomplish the purpose.

It has been found in practice that; the; combination of two roller clips and one guide clip stabilizes the levers when torque is appliedv and eliminates practically all slack between the, two levers. during operation of the device.

From the foregoing it is apparent how the device operates. When hook 34 is engage in the lock lifter of a coupler and; the handle; 28. is mounted, in bracket clevis 26,, with, the depending handle portion against; flange 24,. operation of the handle 28 in a counterclockwise direction will correspondingly rotate lever 16; which in turn will impart similar rotation to thelock litter and operate. the coupler.

I claim;

1. Thecombination with;arailway car having a sliding center sill underframe with cushioning.- medium, a longitudinally and laterally movable coupler mounted therein for relatively long longitudinal and wide lateral movements, a lock litter in: said coupler for ope-rating same and a-bracket-securedto. the endof a carbody at one side. thereof, said bracket having ahorizontal section disposed substantially normally to said car end, of means to operate. said coupler from. the side of the. end of said car,.said. means consisting of a clevis, secured to said horizontal section of said bracket and extending therebeyond to form an eye disposed on a vertical axis, a handle section having an eye. formed-.- therein: mounted within the eye of said clevis, the handle depending from said-clevis, said handle section having an elongated body portion extending laterally therefrom toward said coupler, a second section having a hook at one end thereof for attachment to said lock litter, and a body portion overlapping the body. portion of said handle section, the end of each section having a, U-sh-aped clip secured to opposite sides thereof and extending around the other section, whereby said sections may slide longitudinally with respect to each other responsive to movements of said coupler.

2. The structure of claim 1, each clip having, an antifriction roller mounted therein for rolling along the body portion.

3. The structure of claim 1, and a U-shaped guide clip secure-d at opposite sides of one section and extending around the other section for stabilizing the sections when they move relative to each other.

4. A lock lifter operating lever for operating the, coupler of a railway car coupler comprising a rotatablev lever including a handle section having an eye formed therein on an axis parallel to said lever for mounting same on said car, a second sect-ion having a hook atits inner end for attachment to said lock lifter, saidj sections overlapping each other, each section having a U-shaped clip secured to opposite sides thereof and extending around the, other section, a guide clip. secured to opposite sides, of one section and extending around the other section, an anti-friction roller mounted within each U-shapedj clip for rolling along said sections, whereby said sections may slide longitudinally with respect to each other responsive to. movements of] said coupler.

5. A lock lifter operating lever for operating the coupler of a railway car couple-r comprising, a rotatable lever including a handle section having an eye formed therein on an axis parallel to said lever for m'ountingsame, on said car, a second section having a hook at its inner end for attachment to said lock lifter, said sections overlapping each other, a pair of U-shaped clips. each. secured to opposite sides of av section and extending around the other section, an anti-friction roller mounted within each, of said, clips and rollable along a section, and a. guide clip surroundingone section and attached to the other section whereby said sections may slide longitudinally with respect' to each other, and the said. roller clips and. guide clip stabilize said levers when torque is, applied thereto.

References. Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,966,283 7/1934. Brody ,21116 2XR 2,356,336 3/1944 M'etzger 2,13'16l 2,396,813 3/1946 Benz 28f7.5'8'

2,555,220 5/1951 Brown 28.75.8

FOREIGN PATENTS 620,121 6/1926 France.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

LEOJ QUAQKENBUSH, Examiner. 

4. A LOCK LIFTER OPERATING LEVER FOR OPERATING THE COUPLER OF A RAILWAY CAR COUPLER COMPRISING A ROTATABLE LEVER INCLUDING A HANDLE SECTION HAVING AN EYE FORMED THEREIN ON AN AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID LEVER FOR MOUNTING SAME ON SAID CAR, A SECOND SECTION HAVING A HOOK AT ITS INNER END FOR ATTACHMENT TO SAID LOCK LIFTER, SAID SECTIONS OVERLAPPING EACH OTHER, EACH SECTION HAVING A U-SHAPED CLIP SECURED TO OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF AND EXTENDING AROUND THE OTHER SECTION, A GUIDE CLIP SECURED TO OPPOSITE SIDE OF ONE SECTION AND EXTENDING AROUND THE OTHER SECTION, AN ANTI-FRICTION ROLLER MOUNTED WITHIN EACH U-SHAPED CLIP FOR ROLLING ALONG SAID SECTIONS, WHEREBY SAID SECTIONS MAY SLIDE LONGITUDINALLY WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENTS OF SAID COUPLER. 